Sunday, November 30, 2003

I finished at 4 hrs, 18 minutes and 47 seconds ( the official clock says 4:19:27, but that is because it took me 40 seconds just to cross the Start line). That is a Personal Best (PB) for me and so much better than my last marathon in Red Deer.

I felt really strong the whole way. I wasn't at all "tired" aerobically. What gave out on me was my legs; I developed severe leg cramps 5 miles before the end of the marathon. The Seattle course has some killer hills at 19 miles. Soon after I hit the hills, my legs cramped up so much I had to stop and massage them. It got so bad in one place that I asked a volunteer to support me while I leaned on him and stretched. It was very painful. But I managed to keep going for the last 5 miles.

The weather for the marathon was really good for Seattle at this time of year. About 6°C, Partly cloudy although, there was a fairly strong wind off of Lake Washington.

One of my traveling partners was able to run roughly at my pace, so we decided to run together. It certainly is nice to have someone to run with. BonBon & I got off to a screaming start and by mile 4 had accumulated 4 minutes ahead of our target pace. We slowed down and were able to keep on pace for the next 11 miles. Then, around mile 15, we started to slip up a bit. When we reached the hills, I left BBS behind and thought I wouldn't see her until the end of the race.

To her great delight and my surprise, she caught up to me in the middle of the hilly section! We ran together for a while, but my cramps kept slowing me down and she left me behind. So she actually beat me!

That's OK, BBS, You certainly are a stronger runner than I am and if I didn't have those terrible cramps, we both would have finished together and had an awesome finish time.

Monday, November 10, 2003

"The weather was an apologetic drunkard who kept spilling rain at inopportune places, and then trying to say how sorry it was for the accident. The weather isn't due to sober up for a couple more days, so I imagine it'll have a substantial backlog of shame to work off once it gains a more or less clear head."

I can certainly picture the drunkard stumbling apologetically about, barely in control of his actions.

Should I aspire to this kind of writing? Should I stick to my own brand of prose?

Hey, how about another link while we are at it. This one is a marathoner who is also a cartoonist. I guess not all marathon runners are free-loaders like me. Some use their talents to do people some good.

It is a pity that Steve didn't finish documenting his marathon training. I noticed that the page was last updated July 2002 and stops at week 11. He is using that same program the I am and I think it is 19 weeks.

Saturday, November 08, 2003

32 Km, 2:53:14, Sunny -10°C, 7 km wind
Yes, you read it right. 32 KM in 2 hrs and 53 minutes. For you Americans, that is 20 miles at 14°F. To the athletes in the crowd, that isn't terribly fast. The rest of you are probably thinking, "What, is he crazy?"

Today was my longest run between now and the Marathon at the end of November. My run started out pretty cold. By the time I was finished, the temperature had risen to almost the freezing point.

Mo sent me this link she received in her email box. She told me that she found it very PBGish. I am inclined to agree with her. I wasn't too impressed with the layout of the site, so I thought I would look for other sites on fish philosophy. I did some searching and found out where this "fishy" business started out. Who ever thought a fish mongery shop would have a website!

I must admit, the first link says more about the fish philosophy and what it is about than the second link. I guess the gurus at the fish shop were advised to sell their ideas through their business consultants. How very American to sell your grass roots ideas to the highest bidder!

Saturday, November 01, 2003

Do you know how the PBGs "punished" me? They gave me more cans. They gave me more bottles. Soon I had so many cans, covered with ice and snow, that I had to stop running. They were so slippery! They were damn cold. I had too many! And I kept finding more.

So I gave in. I "tithed" by placing most of my found containers in a position where some other PBGer would notice them.

How did the PBGs reward me for this generous tithing? They gave me more cans. They gave me more bottles. And before I had more than I could handle, the gave me a bag to put them in.

I had coffee with a friend on Thursday. She is worried that her husband doesn't love her. I know that he does, and she is pretty sure that he does, but he doesn't show it to her very well.

*I* know that he loves her because I see it in his actions. He treats her with a great deal of respect. He honors her wishes and lets her be in control because he knows it makes her happier. Her well-being is his highest priority.

While my friend sees some of these ways he expresses his love for her, it isn't what she is looking for. She wants to receive cards. She wants "I love yous". She wants flowers. She wants tender touches (you know the kind that have nothing to do with sex?). She wants, in short, what most women want and what most men really don't understand. She wants a clear sign that she is loved!

Now, my friend is wise enough to know that her great need for external approval stems from her own insecurity. If he tells her he loves her, she will be more able to love herself. If he tells her she is lovely, she will feel slightly more beautiful. If he appreciates her appearance when she makes a special effort, she will take more care and look nicer for him.

So, for all you guys out there; pay attention. It isn't critical for you to understand your woman. Your route out of the dog house could well be very simple.

Notice the special efforts she makes. Take a sticky note, write a positive comment on it and leave it stuck to the microwave. Bring her an aspirin, without being asked and when she thanks you, tell her "you are worth it". She'll love you more, and in the end, you will find you love her more and show it to her better.